Tuesday, May 6, 2014

One Teacher Made a Difference for the Governor of New Hampshire

The teacher who made a difference in the Governor's life to teach him how to read represents a lot of teachers who do not get enough credit for what they do outside the classroom. Good teachers are found in many elementary, middle, and high schools who prepare our children for college or a career in what they want to do. College professors are found everyday who go outside their normal routine to help a student who comes to them and asks for help. Their doors are always open.

The Governor of New Hampshire wouldn't be where he is today except for a teacher who took an interest in him and was determined he would learn to read.

How many children today fall behind in poor school districts in States like Oklahoma whose legislature cannot seem to get their act together to fund education. Oklahoma teacher's are 49th in pay which brings up the question of why are Oklahoma Republicans are so much against paying some of the best teacher's I have met a fair wage for teaching?

How many kids like the NH Governor are going to be left behind because GOP State Legislatures keep cutting education. Oklahoma ranks as the #1 state in the amount of cuts to education since 2008 when the GOP was in full control of the legislature. Why do Republicans hate education? Don't our children all deserve a quality education with good teachers?

A lot of questions but few answers in Red States.

My first effort at volunteering to teach reading at Yucaipa Elementary in CA, almost made me not try again. I had this little boy who all he wanted to do was count ceiling tiles no matter what you said. I finally had it and told him to count tiles on someone else's time because he was there to learn to read and if he didn't want to try, then why should I waste my time. He looked at me with wide eyes and said I want to get better at reading and every time after that he was ready to spend extra time on reading and never counted any more ceiling tiles. By the end of the semester he had already caught up.

I tutored reading for years as long as my children were in elementary school. Had one little girl in Ohio who couldn't read a word at the beginning of first grade and by the end after working with her three days a week for an hour she read a book the to class and had tears running down my cheeks. In Boerne, TX, they had mentoring program for elementary schools to help students with reading and math.

Being a stay at home Mom I could volunteer in the schools which I did until my children graduated doing different things the schools needed after my children were older. One of the worst things I ever had to do was to record the Edgar Allen Poe book For Whom the Bell Tolls which was a real pain to read out loud into a microphone. That tape was used for English is a Secondary Language High School Literature Course. Worst thing I did in the schools was becoming the President of the PTO -- had to have rocks for brains to take that when no one else would come forward. Found out you not only cannot please everyone but you can please very few people in the long run.

Oklahoma loses teachers all the time who go to surrounding states who pay more. You would think the Governor would spend as much time on education as she did on making sure two men were executed on the same night which was botched. The State School Superintendent Barrisi's answer was to ask the Legislature to give teacher's a $2,000 raise while Gov Fallin gave the heads of her agencies tens of thousands in raises. Something is very wrong in Oklahoma and it starts in the Governor's office. Thought that she would make a better Governor then she has -- she is the worst Governor I have ever had in all the states we have lived and have had some pretty bad ones but nothing close to this. I hear all the time people asking who is advising her because she sounds like a puppet.

How did the Governor's Association made her the Chair? Wonder what they think now with all the bad publicity of the last few weeks.

Oklahomans need to get out to vote and elect a new Governor who is a man who supports all the people of Oklahoma just not oil and gas along with wealthy donors. He is very big into supporting teachers and education for our students at all levels. Time to turn Oklahoma Blue because frankly Red is not working for the average Oklahoman. We need better schools around the state not just in places like Norman where schools are excellent. Every Oklahoma child should have access to that same type of education we give our kids in Norman. Please get out to vote for Joe Dorman for Governor!